Friday 10 April 2015

Rae Morris - Then & Now

Rae Morris "Now" - on BBC Radio 2
Hearing Rae Morris sing live on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2 this morning  took us right back to when we first saw her sing live – doing a guest spot at the “Parks” Art Deco café in Blackpool’s Stanley Park at one of their Sunday lunchtime swing sessions in 2010.

She was back there again in September of that same year playing at the café’s coffee morning in aid of the Macmillan cancer charity and, once again, she made a huge impression on everybody who heard her perform that day.    

In this modern day and age where names can be made or broken on the fickle judgements of TV “experts”, and five minute wonders come and go in – well - five minutes, actually… it is especially gratifying to see that a young singer songwriter can still make their way in the music business persevering with their own excellent material and working their way up round the various festivals and other opportunities that come along.


Rae Morris "Then" - at the Parks café in 2010
(Photo by Paul Breeze)
By the time that Rae performed at the Blackpool Fashion Show in February 2011,   she was already very much on the up as a star and we were very pleased to be able to feature some of her early recordings in our “Lancashire Songwriters” Showcase programmes on 103.2 Preston FM.

One of the most striking things about her when you meet her is how small she is in build  – except for her hair, that is - and how quietly spoken and unassuming she is.  However, once she starts to sing, the most amazing powerful sounds come out of that small person and she really is incredible to listen to. It is great to see that this Blackpool-born songwriting talent has enjoyed so much success in these intervening years.      

Since then she has done it all – Jools Holland, Glastonbury, the Burberry adverts, numerous national radio appearances and recently – a colour glossy spread in “You” magazine. Then her debut album on Atlantic records “Unguarded” broke into the top 10 of the album charts. 

She is now embarking on a European tour and is set to headline at the Lytham Festival in August as well as appearing at the Liverpool International Music Festival.

You can find out more about Rae’s music and all her latest news on her website at  www.raemorris.co.uk  where there are also sales links to buy her “Unguarded” album.

Early Rae Morris news items here on “Best Kept Secrets”:
http://www.bestkeptsecrets.biz/2011/02/blackpool-fashion-show-at-winter.html
http://www.bestkeptsecrets.biz/2010/09/macmillan-coffee-morning-at-art-deco.html
http://www.bestkeptsecrets.biz/2011/02/sara-creeney-visits-preston-fm.html  
http://www.bestkeptsecrets.biz/2011/02/blackpool-charity-fashion-show-winter.html


Rae Morris at the Blackpool Fashion Show in Feb 2011
(Photo by Anthony Baldwin Photography).